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US 12,722,792 B2Granted
Engine nacelle inlet having a roughened turbulator surface
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJason Christopher Parsons, James William Kaminski, Jeffrey D. Crouch, Rocco Tomasso, Andrew David Clark, Jeffrey Scott Harasha
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nacelle inlet that includes an inner flow surface and an outer flow surface. A turbulator surface is positioned along the inner flow surface and includes a roughened surface with the turbulator surface configured to transition laminar airflow along the inner flow surface upstream from the turbulator surface to turbulent airflow downstream from the turbulator surface.
Claims16
A nacelle inlet for an engine, the nacelle inlet comprising:
- a lipskin positioned at a forward end of the nacelle inlet, the nacelle inlet comprising a lipskin inner flow surface that extends along an interior side of the nacelle inlet and forms an air inlet for directing air flow to the engine;
- an inner barrel positioned downstream from the lipskin inner flow surface;
- and
- a turbulator surface positioned in the lipskin inner flow surface, the turbulator surface configured to transition laminar airflow to turbulent airflow downstream along the inner barrel to draw heat from the inner barrel;
- the turbulator surface defining a strip that extends around a circumference of the lipskin inner flow surface with the strip comprising a width that is measured between a leading edge of the strip and a trailing edge of the strip;
- the strip comprises a varying shape that varies in distance away from the inner barrel around the circumference;
- and
- the strip comprising a roughened surface defined by a plurality of indentations formed by peening.
5 more elements
A nacelle inlet for an engine, the nacelle inlet comprising:
- an inner flow surface that extends along an interior side of the nacelle and forms an air inlet for directing air flow to the engine;
- an outer flow surface that extends along an exterior side of the nacelle;
- and
- a turbulator surface positioned along the inner flow surface and comprising a roughened surface, the turbulator surface defining a strip that extends around a circumference of the inner flow surface, the strip defining a width measured between a leading edge of the strip and a trailing edge of the strip, the strip formed by peening of the turbulator surface to create a plurality of indentations which form the roughened surface, wherein the strip comprises a chevron shape:
- wherein the turbulator surface is configured to transition laminar airflow along the inner flow surface upstream from the turbulator surface to turbulent airflow downstream from the turbulator surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.